I’ve had a really fortunate run lately: Last week I was hitting ramps and sliding down waves on the North Shore. Yesterday I was hitting wind lips and boosting big in the Big Hole. And, to top it off, I did something yesterday I have not done in something like seven, eight years; I pumped up a kite on the snow. More on that revelation in a moment…

After two weeks of trade winds on Maui, even kiting some Kona wind on the S side, I made my way back home: Montana. Yes, I’m glad to be back. I missed our mountains. There is really nothing like flying off ‘em under a kite. Yes, waves are sick. It’s like two different drugs; the receptors are similar, but different. And the high is equally different, take what you can get is what I say...

Anyway, within 24 hours of touching down in Montana I am drawn back to Mount Haggin. It’s Saturday, are there are no other kiters around. Nope, not one!? Really? What’s up with that?
Anyway, 11 a.m., and not a breath of wind. So I take my time and within and 20 minutes I can feel the first few wisps of fresh coming from the SW. I boot up and soon it’s full on, breezy 13m and building to rock solid 13/11 all day long!

Snowpack at Haggin is superb. FYI: We’ll be able to kite there into April, maybe May. Saturday started out hard. Typical Spring conditions and, chasing the sun, I harvested corn all the way to sunset. No insulation needed, a shell and you are good to go!

OK, here’s the confession: I have not pumped up a kite on the snow since spring of ’04. So, yesterday, after four hours of ripping around on my 13 Frenzy Ultralite, I took a break and said, “What the Hell”. I pumped up my 13m Ozone Edge and did a little comparison session.

Bottom line: 20%. Twenty percent bigger air, 20% more hang time, 20% faster, 20% more vert pop. Twenty percent slower from zero to ten mph. Yes, the Frenzy was faster at the bottom end. The Edge was slower to build speed at the lowest mph. That was when the Ultralite could accelerate from zero mph to 10 – 15 mph almost instantly. Admittedly, I need to give the Edge a few more days to really say anything more. Oh yeah, the Frenzy was 40% faster from bag to flight. That’s nice!

Really, it’s all good. Kiting is kiting and beyond that nothing else matters… I’m so glad to be chasing it once again in the Rockin’ Rockies. Downside: No flip flops or bikinis.